Gem Studio - Waikiki — Attraction in Honolulu

It's sad to have an experience that falls so far outside that of other people's reviews. Our experience (visited with my daughter as a Mother's Day gift) was a non-stop journey of of broken equipment, ineffective instructions and inability (on the part of staff) to correct problems.

A little background: the experience is supposed to run 2 hours, and at the end of that time, you are supposed to leave with your new piece of jewelry. Neither of us left with our pieces, and this was after 3.5 hours. In part, this was because the equipment was completely defective. Our instructor tried not 1, not 2, but 3 torches in the process of making our pieces; during this period, other instructors were called over to try to resolve the equipment problems. This, however, was only the first problem.

Throughout our time at Gem Studio, I repeatedly pointed out that the metal, used to bind the stone in the ring I was making, was not encircling and securing the stone. After pointing this out several times and being told, it would be resolved, it was not. When we were "finished", I pointed it out again. At this point, the instructor took the ring and started working on it. When that didn't work, other employees were brought in to try to fix the piece. During this period, we were repeatedly asked to "come back in 15 minutes". Eventually, we learned that no one had been able to fix the ring. At this point, we spoke to another employee who told us I had 3 options: Take it "as is" Remake the ring Have Gem Studio remake the ring

Obviously, option 1 was not chosen. Having now spent twice as long "making" the ring, only to be disappointed by the outcome, option 2 did not appeal. I chose option 3; at least I would have a ring, right? Wrong! When I returned the next day, no one had paid attention to the orientation of the stone, and it was mounted on its side.

Though this was my first experience with a "make your own jewelry" studio. My daughter had made a piece at another studio and had an outstanding experience--no faulty equipment, no misaligned stone, and a completed ring in 2 hours.

Perhaps it was an off week for these folks. The reason they received 2 stars, rather than 1, is because the employees appeared to be doing the best they could. They were courteous, and in the end (the following day), I picked up my ring. Also, they did not charge for this debacle. The thing they cannot correct, however, is my daughter's tearful apology for having her gift go so terribly awry. In time, I'm sure we will find the humor in this experience, but in the meantime, I suggest you consider...

This is such a neat idea for a girls night out, self care day, or any old day! I went with my aunts, cousin, and mom and they had a blast. Three of us made sterling silver rings, one made the ring inlay, and the other opted to buy one that was on display. FYI, ring inlay takes longer than you think. So plan accordingly! We booked at 6pm and left around 8:30 pm. Like making the inlay make sure you have time allotted for that!

I think the time issue seemed to be due to low staffing. It was just our instructor Ashley who had help from Emily. Ashley was a great instructor that knew what she was doing and kept the experience fun! Found out she's a mom, so makes sense she was able to juggle two groups she was teaching, man the register, and keep an eye on EVERYTHING (including being security). Emily was so sweet too! Poor girl kept having walk in after walk in for the permeant jewelry. When she had a free hand she made sure to help Ashley. Overall, she kept a professional and fun demeanor. I think if there was more than one instructor for a shift it would balance out the responsibilities.

We plan on coming back in the winter when my cousin graduates! Such a special way to mark an occasion. Please come to San Diego! I could definitely see this kind of thing becoming popular with college students in a mall like UTC. Also, adding special "gems" like sea glass or more shells to the Waikiki location would be fun. Goes with the vibe of the location! Also, lots of men came in with their wives. Cute tie clip or even cufflinks would be fun!

Here's the price breakdown: $5 per person booking fee $95 base fee for sterling silver (ring) + $ of the gem you choose $ any additional price your instructor will go over for you

For two total of sterling silver rings it came out to around $265...

My husband and I came here for my birthday to get permanent jewelry. I got a necklace and he got a bracelet.

They had a variety of chains to choose from in different types of metal. However, there weren't really any charms to choose from. I was hoping to get a charm since I'd be wearing this for a while. They didn't have a price list on how much the items were, but I did see on Yelp, so I was sort of prepared for how much I was going to be spending. It would have just been better to see it in case there was a price change.

Besides that, Ashley was great! When we got there, she was doing a workshop with someone. Then there were 2 other people in front of us getting permanent jewelry. She was attentive and helpful to all of us. There was even a family who came in while she was helping the 2 other people in front of me who had a question. She did great in being professional and friendly to them and explaining their options, but still being engaged with the 2 people she was helping. After helping them, she checked in on her workshop that she was doing, but acknowledged us and apologized for the wait. Then, when it was our turn, she was very social and made sure that we were happy with the lengths we were doing.

It was really quick, even though it was busy. We eventually want to comeback to do one of...